Longer than Hell: The Definitive History of Waiting at the Hospital

Me shortly after my release from the hospital,
a homecoming made special by my wonderful girlfriend.

First things first, it is my mom's and sister's birthdays, as well as OJ Simpson's.  I'd like to wish them a happy birthday.

I got out of the hospital around 8pm on July 4th.  My girlfriend drove us back to our apartment and we were finally able to relax together outside of the context of a hospital room with all the rules and restrictions.  We got home before the fireworks started, so we were able to see the entire spectacle from our living room window.  Our 3rd floor living room faces north and we have a clear view of the Prudential Center and that general area, and we were amazed by the view we had.  We had the window open, and it was nice to hear the street noise from below in addition to the distant sound of the fireworks.  Much better than that fucking horrible music they play during the fireworks.  The entire Boston 4th of July extravaganza is pretty bad, catering to the lame tastes of middle America.  I remember in 2006 they had Dr. Phil speak.  Give me a fucking break.

Somerville had its own little fireworks display in front of our apartment in the form of police
arresting a shirtless bum at the store across the street. 

Since then, I've been doing alright.  I take about 20 pills a day and have to jab myself with a needle for another week to stimulate stem cell growth, but ultimately this is nothing new.  That's probably the worst part about being sick: little things might change, but every adjustment gets old fast and at the end of the day you're still sick, and and becoming healthy is the only change that you care about.

Pills I've accumulated.  

Today I had an appointment at 10:45 and when all was said and done, I was leaving at 4.  Rule #1: always anticipate a long day at the hospital.  Waiting is the name of the game and you never know what unforeseen shit might come up that extends your visit (today was a surprise hour-long magnesium infusion).  Fortunately, I made my girlfriend carry the ten-pound tome Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal in her bag so I was able to squeeze in some quality reading time.  I purchased this book almost exclusively for the crossover chapter which is pretty damn awesome if you like reading about Roger Miret and Raybeez robbing drug dealers with meathooks and things of that nature.  You can also read Evan Seinfeld pat himself on the back like a 13 year old who just got a blowjob.  What a fucking loser.  The crossover chapter is good but failed to mention Leeway, who are the kings of NYC crossover.  Someone could (and should) devote an entire book to crossover, from Suicidal to DRI to what was going on in NYC and how Boston absolutely failed when it came to hardcore bands going metal.  I am looking forward to the forthcoming book about Agnostic Front's "Cause for Alarm" period entitled "Metalled-out Skinheads."

I know I am going crazy with the links, but this post would be incomplete without mentioning the unpublished "New York Hardcore Book" which you can read in its entirety here. I urge anyone with a passing interest in NYHC to take a look.  Much of it is the oral history format featuring a huge and diverse group of NYHC figures.  You can read it straight through or search the document for keywords, ie "CBGB" "Harley" "guns at shows" etc.  Fantastic read.

I will leave you guys with an excerpt from "Louder Than Hell" that made me laugh out loud and really captured how frustrating the medical world can be:

I have no idea how to format that.  Thanks for reading.  Next post I will be discussing a lesser-appreciated record from a classic DC band and providing download links.  Take it easy.